Preformed fiberglass swimming pools offer many advantages over vinyl liner and in-situ formed shotcrete or concrete walled swimming pools. Fiberglass pool bodies may be quickly and inexpensively formed and require considerably less effort to put into the ground. Recently, there has been increased interest in fiberglass pool bodies having a preformed shallow flat portion, or tanning ledge or deck, upon which swimmers may lay for sun-tanning purposes. Upon installation, the tanning ledge effectively becomes an overhang extending away from the main pool body, defining a crawlspace that must be backfilled to provide support for the tanning ledge. The backfill material is typically gravel, and backfilling is typically performed by one or more workmen crammed into the crawlspace to manually direct and distribute the gravel. Gravel backfill is preferred as it is less prone to flowing and settling, but is harder to evenly distribute under the tanning ledge and requires manual distribution by workmen. Backfilling with concrete removes the need for a workman, but is very costly. Further, backfilling the space with any material, such as gravel, sand, concrete or the like typically leaves a significant top void which results in the tanning ledge being unsupported, especially after the pool seasons and settles, leading to flexure and sagging of the tanning ledge.
Thus, there remains a need for a method and apparatus that would allow easy installation of the pool body with proper support of the tanning ledge. The present novel technology addresses this need.